


The Importance of Being Patient

by Erimentha



Category: Ebon Light (Visual Novel)
Genre: Dom Vadeyn, F/M, Language Kink, Light Dom/sub, MC is Gabrielle Brisbane - Freeform, NSFW, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Restraints, Sub Alenca, Vadeyn's POV, Voice Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-25 17:20:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18579046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erimentha/pseuds/Erimentha
Summary: Vadeyn is married and in love, happier than words can express. He ignores his rougher impulses, worried what they mean... at least, until Gabi brings them up, and encourages him not to.





	The Importance of Being Patient

**Author's Note:**

> I argued that Vad could be soft and loving and a dom and this was the result
> 
> Gabi is the MC of Kirlett on the EL Discord, since she's a giant Vad lover.

It starts late at night. Gabrielle’s already half-dozing, her nightshirt – one of his looser ones – slipping off one of her shoulders. Once upon a time, she might have giggled at the accidental mix-up, caused by soft, dazed glow that overtakes her in the evenings, and gone to put on a proper shift. That is, until the night that Vadeyn had reached out and caught her wrist and said he liked it on her. It’s not an accident anymore. Most of her sleeping clothes have been replaced with the items he doesn’t wear anymore. It fuels him with affection when he sees her in them, affection and warmth, and something caught between possession and pride.

It’s a heady feeling, one that threatens to overtake him even though they’d just finished, and instead he turns to snuff out the lantern on their bedside. It’s the same kind of feeling that he struggles with sometimes. He loves her, in ways that he sometimes has trouble expressing, and in all those inadequacies come drives, where that possessive-proud mix runs rampant.

He hesitates just as he’s about to blow out the flame. Honesty – it comes so easily between them sometimes, so why did this seem so intimidating?

He knew why, though he was loathe to admit it. He was afraid – he was afraid that Gabi would be afraid. She’s changed and grown, to be sure. The frightened young woman that Lacey had dragged on _The Bastion_ had seen the depths of Gha’alia and emerged stronger for it. But she was still Gabrielle, still so sweet, so kind, so gentle.

_Gentle_.

What does it say of him, to want – well, to want to push her the way he does? She’s quiet when they’re intimate, but he wants to take her hands in his own and hear every sound her sweet voice can make. He trusts her in a way that was once terrifying to him, and yet at the same time he likes the idea of staking his claim on her on her skin. Sometimes he just wants to hold her close, and tight, and _look_. He wants to take every moment of love and joy she’s given him and return it to her until she can’t tell up from down, and he worries about what it means. He worries what she’d think of it.

With a minute shake of his head, he finally huffs out the candle, closes the glass window of the lantern, and rolls back over into bed. Just as he’s about to get comfortable, he glances down at Gabi, expecting to see what he always does: her eyes closed, lips parted as she’s already lightly dozing.

Instead, she’s looking at him, one hand outstretched as if she was about to get his attention.

“Gabi?” his voice is more hoarse than he expected it to be. “Is everything alright?”

_I didn’t hurt you, did I?_ As gentle as they go, he still finds himself worrying. Over-compensating, perhaps, for the things he keeps inside. Her palm, so small compared to his own, rests on his chest, fingers already splaying into the grooves of his abdomen. Again, pride flares – she might never have voiced her admiration out loud, but he’s caught enough of her glances to know what she likes.

“Of course, I –“ the smile that was already on her face falters, if only for a moment. The pit in Vadeyn’s stomach grows. “I – I wanted to talk to you about something.”

The pit is replaced by a gut-clenching feeling, as if he was anticipating a blow, but he nods and wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her near-flush to him. She doesn’t fight it – a small mercy? Still, he waits, and waits, for her to finds the words she’s looking for. One hand slowly trails over the worn fabric that’s keeping all her ticklish spots out of his reach. More than once he’s wondered what it would be like to have her body at his whims, so he could properly appreciate every inch of her – and especially the ones that make her breath catch at the slightest touch.

The thought is ushered from his mind as her thumb starts drawing little circles against his skin, though she hardly seems aware of the movement. “I love you,” is how she starts, and Vadeyn smiles, against bracing for the _but_ , for the end of this dream. “I love… I love what we do. I love how you make me feel, and –“

_And_ is an improvement. Some of the tension drains away from Vadeyn’s shoulders, though his wandering hand itches to grab on to her, ground himself in her – but again, he worries he might step too far.

“ – and I’ve just been feeling lately – uhm,” she pauses, bites her lip, and frowns, again struggling. _Feeling underappreciated? Feeling neglected?_ Again, his mind races, trying to find where he’s made a mistake. “That you – you pull away sometimes? Or that you’re holding back?” 

Outside, the clouds shift, and the moon comes out in its full glory, light falling in through the window to shine on her beautiful, wonderful face. She looks every inch as concerned as she sounds, her eyes showing nothing but care and love, focused on nothing but him.

“If it’s me –“

His hand catches in the fabric. “It’s not.” Already, his voice has a hard edge to it, and he tries to soften it as he relaxes his grip. Gabi doesn’t look convinced.

“Just now…” she says, her voice even softer. “I’m not made of porcelain. If – if you want to be rougher, you can be rougher, I –“ it quiets with every word, and Vadeyn has never been more thankful for his hearing, because it catches the murmured, “I might like it too,” just before her blush silences her.

She shifts, quiet still, and for a moment he wonders if he’s somehow slipped off to sleep, until her thumb sweeps down another line of muscle, tracing. He’s left wrestling his mind, appreciating the silence she gives him, and almost has some kind of answer when he sees her struggle to fight back her yawn. He shelves the arousal and the temptation and lies back so he can hold her close, dotting the crown of her head with kisses. “Give me some more time?”

“Of course,” she yawns, and though he can’t see her face, he knows she’s smiling.

There’s a storm within him from that moment on, fuelled by her encouragement, and it’s awfully distracting. Not that there’s a dramatic shift in his behaviour the next time they’re intimate – he doesn’t want to go in too quickly and perhaps ruin things, not when they’re close to being on the same page…

Gabi, again, seems to sense where he’s currently caught, brings it up over breakfast. “Maybe we need a word,” she says, almost dreamlike, giving her porridge a stir. “Something either of us can say if we think things are going in a direction where we’re uncomfortable. Something we won’t normally say.”

They normally don’t say much, so Vadeyn quirks a brow at her, curious. He likes the idea. _Stop_ or _no_ can be effective, but may be intimidating in the moment itself. “Do you have something in mind?”

“Bastion?”

“Like the ship?” At her nod, there’s a mischievous thought that sneaks into the back of his mind, and then it comes to the fore. He stands, collecting his empty bowl and glass, and moves to give them a quick wash. “I don’t think that’s such a good one. I can think of a few times I’d say it.”

His wife, still waking as she eats, doesn’t turn to look at him, and instead hums. “Like what?”

There’s quiet in the kitchen for a moment, even as Vadeyn puts the dishes down and approaches his wife from behind, avoiding the floorboard that creaks. Then, quick as could be, he wraps his arms around her shoulders, his mouth finding her right ear. He over-dramatizes his hum of thought, pleased with Gabi’s shiver. “Let’s see,” and he pauses, one arm shifting to trail his fingers down to hers, her grip on her spoon gone lax. “You’re so beautiful,” he sighs, giving her earlobe a soft bite, “especially like this…” Again, his fingers trail, hardly present compared to the weight of his arm, his chest against her back. “When I first saw you on _The Bastion_ , I thought you were lovely, but not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined you like this…”

He lets the sound drag out into a hiss as his lips move down the soft skin of her neck, to her pulse point, to her shoulder, never focusing. Gabi arches, trying to get more of the contact, but it’s at that moment that Vadeyn releases her and steps back to the counter. This time she turns around in her chair, her blush high on her cheeks, her breaths already coming heavier. “Vadeyn – “

“You wanted an example,” he replies, shooting her a grin over his shoulder, then returning to his task, ignoring the growing pressure in his breeches. She’d reacted better than he’d hoped… so after Gabi’s found another word (that he can agree on), his question follows easily. “Can you be patient for me, wait until I tell you otherwise?”

She looks as if she’s about to answer his question with one of her own when he gives her a lingering gaze, the heat in his eyes leaving no room for interpretation. She giggles and nods. When he leaves, she sees him off with a wide smile, her flush still present.

That evening, on the way home, he passes a stall selling lengths of silk ribbons. It hardly registers in his mind until his eyes fall on a set in black and a set in white, and his mind conjures such images that he buys them both on the spot.

He doesn’t make a move that night – nor the next, when Gabi’s touches grow a touch bolder than usual, for all the temptation and the desire screaming in his head. In the mornings, he teases her, with lingering touches to her sides and thighs, ghosting his tongue and teeth on her skin. In the evenings, he returns passion with chaste kisses. On the second night there’s a moment where an impetuous playfulness appears in the shine of her eyes.

“What if I can’t wait anymore,” she murmurs, her hand sliding to the apex of her thighs. Vadeyn catches it with his own and gives it a squeeze, before pressing it above her head. When he whispers in her ear, his voice is soft, and sweet enough it almost disguised the intent of his words.

“Then I’ll be disappointed.” He gives her earlobe another bite, this one hard enough to sting. Her gasp has him pulling back, gauging her wide-eyed expression. “The word –“

“I don’t need it,” Gabi says in a hurried rush. Even when he lets go, her hand stays above her head.

The morning of the third day, he acts as he had before this had emerged between them – at least, until Gabi goes to see him off. He lifts her up wordlessly, caging her against the wall with his hands under her thighs. The feel of her wrapping her legs around his waist has him rolling his hips, unabashed of the firmness that’s already there, his mind having been running rampant since he woke. “You feel that?” he asks, giving her thighs a squeeze as he rolls his hips again. Gabi nods, hands scrabbling against his back, turning her head to kiss him, but he evades her. “That’s what you do to me, Gabrielle. _This_ ,” he hisses, grinding his hardness against her clothed core.  

The noise that leaves her is _obscene_. He can feel her trying to press herself against him, trying to feel more, but with his strength it’s easy to hold her into place. “You’ve been good,” he continues, with a gentler grind, “just be good a little longer.”

“How – how much longer?” She’s near breathless, but there’s still a playful pout on her face. “I – I can’t –“

“You _can_ ,” he interrupts, before silencing her fully with a kiss. “Tonight.”

They don’t have plans tomorrow. That realization dawns on Gabi with an audible _oh!_ just as Vadeyn lets her back down on the ground and fixes the skirt of her dress. “Well,” she says, _almost_ testing, “I’ll try.”

“You will,” Vadeyn corrects, and with one more kiss he’s out the door.

When he comes home, he greets her with a kiss to her forehead, even as his hands trace the curve of her ass, giving an appreciative squeeze. One hand twists to graze her warmth. Her reaction is a gasp, her knees almost buckling, and Vadeyn chuckles as he braces her. “So patient,” he murmurs into her shoulder, “so good. Just a little longer –“

“ _Vadeyn_ ,” she whines, and that’s when Vadeyn gets another idea.

The idea has her against the wall while he litters her neck with kisses that are more teeth than lip, skirt hiked up to her hips, fingers tracing quick circles against her clit through her smallclothes. She’s a practically a wreck, her voice a symphony of little cries and moans while she tries to match his pace. Wound up as she was by his teasing and promises, it doesn’t take long for her breath to take on the telltale hitch.

After another beat, Gabi tells him what he already knows. “Vadeyn, I – ah – I’m so close, please – please, please, just a little more – that’s it, _ah_ –“

He whips his hand away. Her orgasm dies down with a sobbing groan that borders on a scream. The next kiss he gives her is a gentle one against her parted lips, both hands smoothing her skirt back down. “I told you,” he chides, “ _patience_.”

She feels weak when her hands come to a rest on his chest, her eyes watery, but the safeword doesn’t pass her lips. He kisses them once more, then steps away, towards the pantry. She makes to follow, but he stops her and directs her towards a kitchen chair. “I’ll take care of dinner.”

It’s twofold: one, he wants to spoil her, giving her a little break after the stunt he just pulled. Two, well – he would be lying to say he’s not putting on a bit of a show, his shirt gone after an “accidental” spill, and he can practically feel her eyes burning a hole in his back. A flex or two, followed by a glance over his shoulder, has her fidgeting in her chair, lips pressed tight. When he turns to put their food on their table, he doesn’t bother hiding how that demonstration affected _him_ , modesty fully gone.

They eat in relative silence. Vadeyn stays without a shirt, so Gabi’s gaze tends to waver between his lips and his chest, and he’s just as blatant in his admiration, giving her approving smiles whenever he catches her in the act. He cleans up in silence, too, though in the back of his mind there’s a countdown. _Dry one more plate; put it away…_

When he’s done he steps behind her chair, caressing her bare shoulders, and he kisses the top of her head before guiding her to stand. She nearly stumbles, but he supports her without comment, and turns her in the direction of their bedroom. The walk is a quick one. The lantern is already lit, the curtains open to allow more light inside.

She turns to him at the foot of their bed, but before she can say a word, he smiles at her and wordlessly starts to undo the ties of her dress. His attention drawn as it is to her chest, he easily catches the sight of her swallowing back her nerves, and he presses a soft kiss to her shoulder just as he loosens the string enough to pull the dress down in one swift move.

She’s left in her smallclothes and nothing else. Her hands reach for his trousers, one hand cupping the shape of him while the other works at the button, and Vadeyn allows a ragged groan to leave him, pressing up into her touch. It’s not until some of that tenting pressure subsides, the button undone, that he catches her hands with his. “ _Jaulienn_.” Gha’alian leaves him before he can think to translate it. Fortunately, Gabi seems to understand it, hands going slack, her mouth dropping open somewhat. At least, he thinks it’s understanding, until she gasps a quick breath and blinks her gaze away.

_This_ discovery is shooed to the back of his mind for the moment. Still holding her hands, he guides her back to the bed, nodding as she makes to lie back. Once she’s settled properly, she gives him a smile, one that takes a nervous shade when he presses her hands above her head.

“Keep them there,” he murmurs, not moving until she nods. Then, with one hand, he pulls out the basket he’d hidden under their bed, pulling two of the black silks from it. Gabi’s gaze lands on them with a small furrow of her brow. Wadding one in his hand, he runs it down her arm, allowing her to feel the softness of it, before starting to loop it around her wrist. After he secures one end around her wrist, he stops to pull open the drawer of their nightstand.

Gabi almost sits upright at the sight of the knife, but Vadeyn puts it down on top of the nightstand and cups her face with both hands. “It’s a precaution, Gabi – the knots shouldn’t be too tight to undo, but just in case...” he nods to the knife, where it stays in its sheath, then moves a pillow so it’s out of sight for her. “Do you still want to continue?”

The expression on her face is one of love and gratitude, her beauty a beacon for his attention as she smiles. “Of course.” She turns her face to kiss one of his palms, then flicks her gaze back to his face as her smile shifts to something more teasing. “I haven’t said the word, have I?”

“No,” Vadeyn agrees, his own smile quirking, “you haven’t.” Wordlessly, he ties the other end of the silk to one of the posts in the middle of the bed. He pauses to test the slack, slipping a finger underneath to ensure it won’t press uncomfortably against her skin. He hears a small breath of anticipation and decides to take his precautions a little further, pressing her nailbed to check her circulation, and laughing softly at her huff.

Taking up the other length of silk, he runs it down her other arm, watching as her skin raises in its wake. Gabi offers her free wrist up wordlessly but he continues on, grazing her neck, then pulling the softness against the firm peaks of her breasts.

Her answering gasp is akin to music. Again, he continues on, the silk caressing what his hand does not – her stomach, her hips, the length of her leg.

“Vadeyn…” It’s not a complaint this time, but a plea, and Vadeyn answers it with a smile. Her other wrist joins the other in being bound. There’s enough slack for her to move her arms a little, though not enough for her to grab him, or hold him in place.

Kneeling next to her, he cups one of her cheeks with a palm. “Word?”

“I’m okay, Vadeyn.” She smiles, then glances down to where he hasn’t yet touched her. “I promise.”

“Just to be sure, Gabi…?” His encouragement is a firm palm on the softness of her stomach, fingers teasing at the hem of her smalls.

“… Ramps.” It’s a breath, doubtful that he would have heard it in other circumstances. He shifts, kneeling between her legs, now toying with both hands, avoiding where the fabric has darkened and dampened.

“I’m not sure I caught that, _vatelan_.”

Her eyes widen at the final word, her breath catching in her throat, and she has to swallow before she next speaks. “Ramps.”

Wordlessly, he starts to pull, the fabric coming away with little resistance, and thrown in the corner of the room. Once she’s fully bare, he sits back, one hand bracing himself as he leans. “Once more? Just to be sure I can hear…” Trailing off, he brings his other hand to cup at his length, hissing at the hint of warmth. Putting all this off had been a grand idea to work her up, but it’s made him sensitive, and he has to force a breath through his nose for his head to clear.

When he opens his eyes, Gabi’s are focused on his groin, her mouth parted, tongue just barely visible. He stills. The look on his face is expecting, _waiting_ , and it’s not until she repeats the word in a near cry that he gives his cock another squeeze. It’s partly a show, partly a distraction, allowing her to be focused on his moving hand…

And then he moves forward in a crawl, hoisting both her legs over his shoulders, giving her cunt a wide swipe with his tongue. It’s followed by a chorus of sounds: Gabi’s little gasp, his own groan, the creaking of the posts as she pulls at the silk. He groans again as her gasp turns into his name, slipping one hand inside his trousers, the other reaching to tease at her breast. Every reaction of hers is addicting; every twist and shiver and cry is an accelerant for the fire in his veins.

“Vadeyn,” she gasps again, the bedposts creaking as she tries to reach for him. The closer she gets, the more she whispers his name; the more she whispers his name, the more he rubs at himself through his own briefs, the closest to a high he’s known. As her voice pitches, his fingers close in a pinch around her nipple, his tongue seeking out her clit like a target – and then she crests with a keening moan, heels pressing against his back to keep him in place, rendered a mess of “Vadeyn” and “yes” and “more”.  His hands move to the backs of her thighs, pushing lightly as he eases off some of the pressure, going back to wider, longer movements of his tongue. She bends wordlessly to his whims, all the tension in her body gone as she laughs.

“That was –“ His tongue catches on her clit. “I –“ again. “Vadeyn –“

He shifts, one arm keeping her thighs and legs upward. One finger enters her in a glide and he looks up, mouth leaving her enough to say, “One more, _vatelan_ ,” and then diving back down.

“I don’t – ah, I don’t know if I can –“ The creaking continues and she twists, hips trying to rise away, but his arm keeps her firmly in place. “Vad –“ A second finger joins the first, “oh – _Vadeyn_ –“ another circling of her clit, “don’t stop, please, don’t –“

He doesn’t.

Her second orgasm hits her with a shuddering breath. Again, he works her through it, fingers crooking to catch that spot that makes her whimper, and this time when she goes limp, he pulls away completely. The groan that comes from her once she’s fully empty flares that sense of pride and he smirks. He waits for her eyes to focus, for them to find his again. He stands and, with his dry hand, pushes down his trousers and smalls in one movement. Again, he kneels between her legs, shameless in how painfully hard he is as he takes himself in hand.

Vadeyn clears his throat, bringing her gaze back up to his face, and takes those two fingers into his mouth, cleaning them of the taste of her, fisting his cock as he does. “ _Bewan_ ,” he groans, head falling back as he continues to work himself with his hand. “Have I ever told you how much I love how you taste?”

Again, the bedposts creak, and he feels her heels trying to get purchase against him to pull him back closer. “Vadeyn –“

“And your voice,” he sighs, “the way you sound when I’m eating that pretty cunt of yours –“ He moves forward, the tip of him pressing against her core, but not entering, his hand moving lazily.

Gabi’s voice breaks as she twists against her restraints. “Vadeyn, please –“

“Oh, and,” he gives her a smile, “my favorite thing –“ He rolls his hips, entering her fully, and her breath catches. “That, I love _that_.”

Again, his hands press at the back of her thighs, guiding her legs apart as he settles in the heat of her. Coming twice has made her sensitive, tightening around him with every thrust, and it takes him a minute before he’s confident that he’s not going to spill himself too soon.

Much like she gets distracted by him getting himself off, he gets distracted by the sight of her taking him, the stretch and glide, and for a little while it’s all he can do, possession and pride warring in his chest. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, faltering as he presses a little deeper, “so beautiful. I’m so lucky – must be the luckiest man, to be able to see this side of you –“

“Vadeyn,” Gabi moans, “I want you close, please –“

He tears himself away from the sight to give her a reassuring smile. “Soon, _vatelan_. Let me admire you a little more – how lovely you are, how wonderfully you take me –“ he finishes his thrust with a slow grind, grinning at her gasp. “I want to get a mirror, you know.”

“A –“ again, she gasps, as he snaps his hips forward, “mirror?”

“Hang it on the wall – ah – take you from behind – so you can see how gorgeous you are like this –“ He takes a deep breath, then shifts, guiding her legs to wrap around his waist. One arm braces against the bed; the other rests on her hip, thumb just grazing her clit. His head falls as she tightens around him again, his hips stuttering at the new depth. “Careful. If you – you keep doing that, I won’t be able to pull out –“

Gabi shifts, arching her back as she turns her head, “I don’t want you to.”

“What –“ he almost stops, but her hips keep rolling against him, forcing him deep, and he groans.

“Inside,” she pants, “please, I want – I want you – I want you to come inside, please –“

“ _Bewan_ –“ Vadeyn all but snarls, his hips quickening, and he buries his face in her neck. Part of him is in disbelief, but in the best way – to see her, face fully flushed, begging for him like that – it’s something from a dream. In one, wild moment, his teeth latch on the base of her neck, and before the impulse to apologize has fully registered, Gabi’s legs squeeze his waist and she lets out a wordless cry. He follows that bite with another, and another, mind growing hazy.

“Please,” Gabi is just barely audible between her breaths, tilting her hips upwards to press against both his thumb and his cock. “please, Vadeyn – inside –“

He silences his grunt with her skin, teeth almost catching as he keens and slams his hips flush against her as he reaches his own crest. Every spill is a deep grind against her as he thumbs her clit in quick circles, breathlessly grinning as he feels her tighten to a vice around him, watching her eyes flutter close as her body grows taut. Even as the impulse slows, he keeps up the pace, drawing out her orgasm as long as he can until she falls back, utterly limp. He lands next to her. Pulling out is for when he catches his breath; for the moment, he pulls her close.

“I love you,” he pants, in between soft kisses. Gabi answers with something that sounds _vaguely_ like “I love you, too”, but the exhaustion is plain in her body. He lies with her a moment more, then draws back, hissing quietly as the cold air floods around him.

First, he unties her wrists and massages them, checking for any welts and pleased when he finds none, kissing both her palms before getting off the bed. He returns with a damp, warm cloth and a glass of water. The water goes on the nightstand as he wipes the excess spend from her thighs. He tosses the cloth aside, then sits up on the bed, coaxing her to lean against him as he holds the glass to her lips. For a moment, she only drinks, and then she stirs a little, hands coming up to hold it herself.

She drains it completely, then nuzzles her head back into Vadeyn’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she murmurs, hands almost limp again, and he chuckles as he takes it from her to put it back on the stand.

“Thank _you_.” He wraps his arms around her, sighing as he feels her settle. “That was incredible.”

“Mm-hmm.” Gabi nuzzles a moment more, then pauses. She tilts her face up, looking exhausted, but pleased, as she grins at him. “A mirror, hm?”

Vadeyn’s cheeks colour, but he smiles back at her. “Inside, hm?”

Her blush answers his. “I – well, we talked about children before, and – I thought it was okay – “ she stops herself and huffs. “I like it.”

Her assertion has him smiling wider, and he kisses her nose. “I’m glad… so do I.”

They speak a little more, teasing and praising, but soon Gabi is boneless against him and he’s fighting yawns. It’s an easy thing to shift them both downwards so they’re underneath the sheets, comfortable and warm. The moon shines on her sleeping face and Vadeyn is left to admire it as he dozes off himself. She’s his entire world, his love and his wife: sweet, gentle, stronger than most would give her credit for… certainly braver than him.

He couldn’t ask for anything more.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations for the bit of Gha'alian:   
> Jaulienn: enough  
> Vatelan: precious, sweet  
> Bewan: fuck


End file.
